Courtesy photoThe Amway Sikorsky S-76 bobs in the water of Lake Michigan in darkness after the crash. It sank the next day.

The sound was like a shotgun being fired from the tail of the sleek Sikorsky S-76 helicopter owned by Amway Corp.

The aircraft jerked right, beginning to spin, nose down, out of control.

Pilot Rick Fiddler struggled to bring order to chaos while co-pilot Larry Murphy issued a desperate mayday. Their four passengers, Amway human resources executives, could only wait for what happened next.

Within 30 seconds the chopper hit Lake Michigan midway from Illinois, and water began to pour through a window.

Minutes later, the $3 million helicopter would roll over in the chilly but placid water -- 300 feet deep -- as search crews began a race against the sunset.